Order Only

[alt_lee]

Bad news. Neville passed this on to me.

Sally-Anne Perks was caught by Madam Umbridge giving Stephen Capper a tisane to help him sleep, because he's been so terrified of what happened to his brother happening to him. It wasn't even one of the medicinal potions you left for her, Madam Pomfrey. It was just stuff like chamomile and valerian. But Madam Umbridge said she wasn't allowed to do it, even if it was only a tea, and her punishment is that she's not allowed to brew any potions at all until after the O.W.L.s exams--even in class, or with supervision!

It's clear that the Headmistress is determined to make her flunk her exams.

Well, we're not gonna let it happen.

Her classmates in her year plan to nick the potions ingredients she needs, and I've agreed to supervise her brewing. We have a room where we can do it securely. Haven't talked to Fred, but I bet he'd be willing to help, too. And yeah, we know we have our own N.EW.T. exams to study for, but we can be with her, looking over her shoulder, and working on our own stuff as she's going through each brewing step.

So it stinks, but we're not letting the pink toad win on this one.

Comments

[alt_terry]

Sally-Anne also said that Madam Umbridge gloated to Capper that his brother was dead. She asked if it was true, or was the Headmistress just messing with his head?

I think I asked if we could find out what happened to the brother. Was Mr Weasley going to check? But I never heard if he did.

[alt_bill]

Terry,

I do remember your asking about this, right after Thomas Capper was taken to the camps. Dad and I discussed it. He thought it best to try to quietly extract him from the camps after a few months had passed. He really was high profile, being the first half-blood from Hogwarts to get his wand snapped and sent to the camps, due to doing badly on his exams--they wanted to make an example of him.

I don't know whether Dad followed up, but he didn't mention it to me. I think we were distracted by the whole Ireland debacle, among other things.

I'm going to check with Nick and try to get you an answer today. Let's hope it is a lie, and we can get him out.

[alt_bill]

Bugger all. Umbridge was telling the truth. Nick Towler just brought me confirmation.

Thomas Capper died in October at the Adur camp in West Sussex. He was assigned to physical labour in a quarry and slipped and hit his head on his work shift. They apparently didn't bother to get the injury checked out at the camp infirmary. He finished his shift, went to bed as usual that evening--and never woke up the next morning.

Nick went back to trace the parchmentwork trail, to find out why we didn't hear about this, and judging from what he's told me, the camp administration knew they'd badly bolluxed this up. Since Capper was high-profile, they were doing their best to bury the details in the weekly reports. Little things, like omitting his name in the death census for the week, omitting his prisoner number. Among other things, his family has never even been officially notified. When Nick contacted the camp administration and asked why, he was blandly informed that of course, given Capper's change in status, with the Protectorate assuming custody, they're not considered family anymore. I think it's more likely that Bawsley, the camp administrator, was more concerned with covering his own arse.

Merlin.

We should have moved sooner. We should have at least tried to save him. But we didn't.

Alice, my instinct tells me that we shouldn't pass this on through Fred and George's lock to the Junior Auxiliary via the journals. They really deserve to be told in person, at the review at 12 Grimmauld Place next week. As awful as it's going to be, we need to come up with the guts to admit to them face to face how badly we failed Thomas Capper.

And won't that be a cheerful bit of news for them to absorb as they're contemplating their exams.

Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

Alice,

Nick is taking this extremely hard. He knew about the plan to delay, too, and he's just sick over the fact that we waited until it was too late. He knew Capper at school.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_alice]

The fault lies with me, Bill. After Arthur died, I was trying to prioritise and make sure we had everything covered, and Thomas Capper fell through the cracks.

I've failed Arthur, and Nick, and Thomas most of all.

Please tell Nick that I'm sorry.

The best thing I can do right now is make sure that we don't make the same error again, so I'll be looking through our past notes and following up with some potential loose ends in the next few days.

If you'd think it would help, I can also meet Nick and talk to him about it. Sometimes a full heart needs a person to share the burden with, and I deserve to carry some of his load.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

I'm sorry for you, too, Alice. This is one of those dreadful burdens of leadership, the sort of thing that used to keep Dad up at night. We lose people all the time in this murderous regime. Just hang on by remembering the ones we've saved. Go dandle the babies in the nursery on your knee, if it'll help.

I'm meeting with Nick tonight after work, but yes, I think it would help if you could speak with him, too. I'll see if there's a time he can come out to the sanctuary this weekend; one or the other of us will send you a patronus.

Maybe he could use a visit to the nursery, too.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_bill]

After thinking upon this more:

Please, Alice, don't heap more guilt on yourself. You walked into a helluva situation, trying to take over the Order on the fly, when we were all reeling in shock over Dad's death. Don't forget, I went totally off my nut, and I wasn't any bloody help at all to you with the transition, overseeing all the details at the Ministry, and I should have been.

To be scrupulously fair, it was Dad's choice and Dad's responsibility to leave Capper put. He did have honestly valid reasons for that choice. No one could have foreseen Capper's accident.

The real responsibility, though, goes to the heartless bastards who snapped his wand and send him to that camp in the first place. Don't forget that.

Re: Private message to Alice Longbottom

[alt_alice]

I will never forget, believe you me.

And I'd love to have him come and talk. I think it'd be good for both of us.

...Thank you, Bill.

[alt_alice]

Thank you for following up on this, Bill.

I take full responsibility for breaking the news to the Hogwarts group about what has happened.

[alt_lee]

That...wasn't what we were hoping to hear.

All right. We'll hold off on saying anything, and leave it to you to pass on the news.

Private message to Lee jordan

[alt_gredforge]

That poor bastard.

Re: Private message to Lee jordan

[alt_lee]

Yeah.

[alt_pomona]

They -

No one told us here. The staff in general, I mean.

Though, now I think about it, Aurora spent a bit closeted with Septima, back in January, and she wouldn't talk about why. (She's careful with other people's confidences, as a rule, so I didn't press.) And Septima looked horrible that week, and got even fiercer about her House's revision schedules than she had been already. And now I'm wondering if Septima found out then.

And there's no way I can ask - not until I have some other way to have learned about it than here.

Alice, I'm sorry, the last week has been a misery in six directions, and our Headmistress is being deeply difficult about this idiotic Memorial Garden on top of everything else. Though I got a great deal of amusement out of your Neville's comments last night.

At any rate, Severus and I have discussed, and he will take care of the greenhouses for me the second week of hols, so I can come and cover herbology. Though, truly, we've had less disruption than some subjects, and our exams don't generally change that much year to year, so I've been able to tell them what to expect with plenty of warning. But it might reassure them, and if the rest of you are in for identifying yourselves, I might as well confirm it too.

[alt_alice]

I'm glad to hear that you'll be there, Pomona. At the very least, seeing some familiar faces must be some comfort, and I'm sure the added security of being truly solid on the material will also be helpful.

I'm incredibly unsurprised that she's made your life difficult over the garden. It's a wonder how a single person can generate so much grief.

I'd imagine that now she's revealed to the younger Capper in such a tactless way, the news should filter around soon enough. If you'd rather wait until after hols, that's understandable.

[alt_poppy]

Alice, I will plan to be there throughout, lest anything dire happen to anyone during the Apparition lessons.

I've also agreed to take up the Potions instruction in the second week when Severus returns to his duties at Hogwarts.

[alt_poppy]

It's truly awful, this news about Mr Capper. And it's simply criminal what Dolores Umbridge has done to his brother.

I know I needn't tell you to be careful, Pomona. I'm afraid I didn't take quite the enjoyment you did at reading Mr Longbottom's replies to her. She needs so little excuse.

But I've done fussing now.

Tilda asks if you might come for supper tomorrow? I have news on several fronts and items to send back with you, as well.

My visit at Igtham Mote was extremely productive. Theo Postlethwaite's got just the thing for us. A powder that can be added to tea or pumpkin juice that will deliver the nutrients our underfed children require. He sent me away with samples and is busy packaging the quantity we'll need. As a bonus, he's pointed out to me that his formulation shares key ingredients with a classic wit-sharpening draught.

On this front, I've been brewing a bit with the Scintillarica Tilda grew and dried for us last season. I have high hopes for it. And we've discussed planting schemes for her next crop of experimental variants.

She's a perfectly good egg, Tilda is. We should have that conversation again, you know.

[alt_pomona]

Oh, Poppy.

It is very bad here, even more than you know. You are right she needs no excuse, but better, perhaps, that people choose their fights than have them forced on them for some other reason.

I don't know. Perhaps I have been spending too much time thinking about the Gryffindors of our acquaintance of late.

Supper tomorrow would be very pleasant indeed. I rather suspect the castle will quite empty as soon as the students go - Dolores is residing here, but Auri said she'd be gone as soon as she could, Bathsheba's going elsewhere (and she almost never does). I'm glad either Severus or I will largely be around to keep an eye out, really.

The rest is very good news, and I am extremely excited to hear you've had so much luck with it. (And the nutrition will be most welcome, I am very sure. It is so hard to see the ends of the tables.)

As to Tilda - you know I've been hesitant because I didn't want to put her at greater risk. But you're right. We should discuss again. I'm glad she's treating you well, though not at all surprised.

[alt_alice]

I'd rather they not risk getting caught with the ingredients unless completely necessary.

Severus, if you make a list, we can obtain the necessary ingredients she might need and send them along with you so that you can pass them to her. Perhaps she can take advantage of your space to practice under supervision as well as Hermione?

[alt_lee]

That's probably a good idea.

[alt_severus]

There is less of a credible reason for Miss Perks to be found in Mr Milland's company than Miss Granger — our standard excuse, should it become necessary, is that Mr Potter has allowed Mr Milland use of Miss Granger's labour — but I will aid Miss Perks to the best of my ability.

Mr Jordan, I do agree that the risk to Miss Perks is considerable should she be discovered brewing in secret or should you be discovered appropriating ingredients on her behalf; I will speak to her over the holiday to ascertain how much practice she feels necessary and we will form a plan of attack.

[alt_lee]

If I can be in on that meeting, too, sir, we can compare schedules. Maybe I can provide cover when it comes to appropriate excuses. And I can do ingredient drop offs or supervise brewing if you can't.